juno610

Hey Tonya! Glad to see you back!

You definitely do not want to crush a time-released medicine. Perhaps ask your doctor for an alternative in the mean time? I crushed my meds for the first two weeks. I didn't swallow them whole until I went on mushies. This was one of my doc's rules. Every doc is different though.

I didn't even think about food the first two weeks after surgery. It was hard enough getting 2oz of liquid down at first! The funny thing was, I remember being in the hospital the morning after surgery and thinking how crazy it was that I hadn't eat for more than 24 hours and didn't feel hungry in the least!

Some I found pretty helpful (and amusing) are books by Geneen Roth, like [ame=http://www.amazon.com/When-You-Refrigerator-Pull-Chair/dp/0786885084/ref=pd_bbs_sr_7/102-2743526-2985736?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1176002457&sr=8-7]When You Eat at the Refrigerator, Pull Up a Chair[/ame]. Another one I liked a lot was Taming the Feast Beast by Jack Trimpey. If you are a stressy person like me, try reading Full Catastrophe Living by Jon Kabat-Zinn. It's pretty in depth, but very informative -- all about how to incorporate meditation exercises for stress management.

Yes, I can definitely see the difference in your face! How cool!

Wow! None left?! When I went for my second fill I totally forgot to ask my doc how much was left of my first one. Very interesting!

Hi bandster buddies! I've been having a rough week, what with all my PBing. The good news is, things finally settled down and I was even able to eat some steak! I went in this morning for a barium swallow. My doc said everything looked good and she didn't want to adjust me up or down right now. My new rules from her are to: 1) not eat unless I am hungry. She said I need to break the habit of eating just because "it's time". This is easier said than done on work days though. I'll have to work on it. 2) Serve myself ONLY 1/2 cup at a time, and see if I am still hungry afterwards. I am still serving myself a little too much most times. I also joined a gym right by my house. It's not very crowded when I get there after work. I love it! The people are very nice and everyone seems very serious about working out. This is so different from my old Bally's where it seemed like most people were there just to see and be seen. I hope everyone is doing well. I miss everyone -- we need to get posting again!! Maria P.S. Oh yeah. I tried tuna for the first time today. It was ok. I think I could stomach this for lunch at work. It was one of those Bumblebee Sundried Tomato creations with crackers. That little thing filled me up! Awesome!

I can't tolerate most of those things, especially pita bread. Even drier crunchy things like pretzels are a serious no-no for me. I haven't tried moister things like muffins or pancakes yet, but I'm not sure I will even go down that road.

You're not alone. I didn't have a BM for about 4 or 5 days after surgery. But when it started... whew! Bad liquid diarrhea for the next 5 days. I was so relieved to start on mushies. Hang in there, ok?

I have been going to my support group meetings, and I love them. I don't go because I need help -- I feel like I'm doing pretty good too. I go because it's nice to connect with people who are having the same experiences and have been through the same things. If you really don't want to go, don't go. I can understand it being a hassle to get to with work and all. Just remember that they are there, and they are usually about more than "problems". Hope that helps! :bolt: Maria

Way to go, Joe!!! So proud of you :girl_hug: Keep up the good work!

I didn't quite get to that point. After the second bite, it hurt enough to where I just KNEW I shouldn't have any more. Especially after just having chicken stuck on Tuesday. I guess I'm a little gunshy.

My first fill didn't kick in for a few days. I felt restriction for a couple days after that, then it sort of came and went. I finally went for the second one because I was getting away with far too much.

It turns out my 2nd fill has me too tight. Last night I discovered I couldn't even eat fish! I ran into my surgeon at work today and she decided I need a slight unfill. So, I'll be going for that next Thursday. Until then, I will have to work extra hard to get my protein in. I'm thinking chili, beans, maybe a protein shake here and there. So frustrating!!!

Much much better today! The doc said to go back on solids today, but to make sure I was only eating 1/2 cup at a time. I ate some granola and dried fruit earlier. For lunch I had some Mrs. Grass chicken soup with the noodles (leftover from last night's chicken broth). Jello sounds good. I may have to go whip up a batch!

I was not allowed ground meat during my mushy stage. My mushy stage staples were refried beans, polenta, cream of wheat, soft cheese (like fresh mozzarella), etc.

More on the subject of PBing... I forgot to mention how awesome it was to find the closest bathroom door locked. I had to throw up in the sink in the breakroom. I was alone for most of the sliming action, but then just as the big one hit, one of our office ladies walked in. Good times! I was like, "Um, sorry you had to witness that..." Sheesh!

Welcome to my world!! LOL! After barfing 4 times since I got my fill last Thursday, I finally called the doc's office today. She told me to do ONLY warm/hot liquids tonight. I'm supposed to call back tomorrow morning and let them know if the liquids stayed down. She also told me to wait at least 4 hours after something is stuck to put ANYTHING (even water) down my throat. Maybe that will help you? I hope you are feeling better! Maria

Faith - not sure where in Michigan you are... I'm in Royal Oak and I've found it Holiday Market and Hollywood Markets. I'm almost positive I've bought it at Farmer Jack too.

Hi Sara PBing is when food actually comes back up. It is essentially throwing up, but not quite as gross because the food hasn't mixed with your stomach acids yet. I am going through the exact same thing as you right now. My second fill has me very restricted and I am learning some hard lessons about taking smaller bites and chewing well. I've barfed 3 times since this fill. Most of the time it's when I ate one bite too many. I've had some food get stuck too, and the sliming is crazy. I have to spit spit spit and then I start burping. If the burping settles down, then I know I'm good to go, but if I start getting clammy, then I know some PB action is coming. I decided that if I barf one more time, I'm going to ask for a tiny little unfill. Maria

What they mean there is that most will lose that certain percentage of their excess body weight and keep it off. So they would need to lose 100, but only lose 50-60. It doesn't mean they they'd regain that much, although I'm sure that has happened. HTH!

I was told it would take about 90 minutes -- longer if you need a hernia repair too. Mine only took 45 minutes though. Apparently all my parts are in the right places which made it easy to do! :welldoneclap:

I hesitate to say it (don't want to jinx myself!), but I think I'm there. I have 1.5ccs in a 4cc band. I am very restricted -- I definitely can only get in 1/2 cup at a time. For example today looked liked this: Breakfast: 1 egg scrambled with mushrooms and cheese (I only ate half) Lunch: 1/4 cup pulled BBQ pork, 1/4 cup broccoli pieces Dinner: 4oz turkey burger (no bun), 4 fries The first few days after this fill, there was a bit of a learning curve. I kept trying to eat too much too fast. I even barfed Saturday morning. Not fun! And all I had was a few bites of cucumber and a few bites of leftover rice and labneh. Yeah, it was gross. And the biggest reason I think it's the sweet spot... the scale has finally moved down again! Maria

Yup, 2 fills! When I went for the first one, my doc said to call her right away if I could still eat more than 1/2 cup at a time. Well, I put it off a little, but I'm so glad I went. I'm feeling some true restriction now!

Tonya - WOW!!! You are an inspiration!!